A long-term water reservoir development project in northeast Missouri received the promise of a portion of its original funding and assurances from Gov. Jay Nixon Friday that the state would help make the 2,200-acre lake come to fruition in Sullivan County.

Nixon was part of a roundtable discussion in Milan Friday, meeting with Rep. Nate Walker (R-003), city and county officials, members of the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission and members of his cabinet to discuss the project’s future and funding.

During the stop, Nixon highlighted up to $2 million he is making available in state funding to help purchase land required for the project, with the potential that an additional $2 million in the project’s initial funding would be there when called upon.

The East Locust Creek Water Reservoir project in Sullivan County was initiated decades ago to address water supply concerns. The project calls for a 2,200-acre lake development that would be used to meet the water needs of 10 northern Missouri counties for both water supplies and recreational usage.

“The severe drought that impacted almost all of Missouri last year and continued to affect much of the northern part of the state has driven home how crucial it is to have reliable sources of water for our homes, farms and businesses,” Gov. Nixon said in a press release.

According to Nixon’s office, the project has about half the land necessary already purchased, with a federal grant, a Sullivan County half-cent sales tax, $10 million in municipal bonds and the $2 million from the state, to be used to assist with land acquisition.

“This means a lot for northern Missouri,” said Walker, who has supported the project. “It ensures we have enough water in Sullivan County and north Missouri and for the water district to provide water for general households and industry.”

The $2 million in funding Nixon discussed Friday was part of about $4 million initially called for in the 2014 budget for the project. That funding came under a hold by Nixon during the House Bill 253 debate and only half of the amount was released when HB253 failed to pass in the September veto session. Walker said the Sullivan County project and its funding hold was part of his consideration in eventually voting against the passage of the tax reform measure, but that no matter what happened with that specific funding, he opposed the bill on its own merits and flaws.

Friday, Walker said the roundtable discussion also included about 80 members of the community, in addition to Nixon administration officials from the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture.

“Last spring, in the drought, we were pumping water from Locust Hill Creek and different places in the area,” Walker said. “Water is a valuable asset and in northern Missouri where you’ve got to drill down a long ways for a well, we rely a lot on our watershed.”

Page 2 of 2 - Walker said an additional $2 million initially set aside for the project could still be on the table as land acquisition progresses over the next five years and construction ramps.